


What I've Been Looking For

by timeforlupsopinion (jazzhandslazuli)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, High School Musical AU, M/M, Yeah you read that right, johnchurch but there's no tag for it and it's not a prominent relationship in the story, sazed/taako is in the past sazed doesn't appear in this story, strap yourselfs in folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 09:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11734545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzhandslazuli/pseuds/timeforlupsopinion
Summary: Barry L. Eugenes: science geek, mathlete, general nerd, played piano for five years.Lup: expert chef, basketball star, general cool kid, played violin for five years.A lot of things happen at once, and suddenly these two opposites have signed themselves up for a duet spot in the school talent show, throwing the school social strata way out of balance. Barry's new science club friends fear his dual interests will lead to their competition being sidelined. Lup has her reputation, but more importantly, her future to think about. And her enemies in the drama department don't take kindly to their rivals encroaching on their territory. Can Lup and Barry navigate the tempestuous waters of high school drama and come out safely together on the other side?





	1. The Start of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> This probably looks ugly and needs editing, but listen I'm taking five subjects this semester plus my job and this fic is going to kill me. Enjoy. 
> 
> -
> 
> Lup and Barry improvise some tunes together.

The last thing Barry expected to find, wandering the halls of the function center, the home of which was the party he desperately avoided, was a music room. But here he was. He smiled and ran his fingers across the piano keys. How long since he last played? His mother stopped being able to afford lessons after the first few years, and he hadn’t practiced on the cheap keyboard in his room since he started high school. He hesitantly punched out a few notes from  _ Heart and Soul _ . He wondered if he still had it. The only thing he could remember to play was, embarrassingly, a few anime openings, but it’s not like there was anyone around to hear him. 

 

His interpretation of  _ Cruel Angel’s Thesis  _ wasn’t perfect, but he got all the way to the end without too many major hiccups. He was almost… proud of it, all things considered. 

Not proud enough, however, for an audience, and his excitement turned to abject horror when his last notes rang out and a gentle applause greeted him. A woman stood in the doorway, strained smile on her face like she was trying not to laugh. She was tall, in a black dress shirt and skirt, far fancier and more appropriate for this party than his half-tucked-in button up and well-worn denim. She grinned at him. 

“Well I can't fault you for good taste,” she said.

“I'm sorry, I didn't know there was anyone else here,” he said quickly, standing up. “I know I'm not supposed to be here, I'll go-”

“Oh, please don't leave on my account!” she said. “I'm not supposed to be here either. I keep your secret, you keep mine?” He felt the edges of his anxiety ebb away, though his hands still shook.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, sitting back down at the piano. Satisfied, the woman pulled up an old violin from the pile of assorted instruments. She plucked a few strings, made a face, tuned it a little, and then ran through a shaky rendition of  _ Hot Cross Buns.  _ She grinned. “Still got it.” 

Barry laughed, and looked back down at the keys. Something… not from an anime. He tried something more traditional that his teacher had taught him. It was even rustier, and he couldn’t even remember what it was called, but evidently still recognisable, because the woman nodded, and played along. He didn't even know this was a violin duet, but the woman played perfectly. 

“You're good,” she said when they had finished. “How long have you been playing?”

“Thanks, uh, about five years? It’s been a while, though.”

“Think you could teach me a few things?”

Barry blushed. “Five years isn't teacher level.” But she already sat herself at his side, their shoulders brushing. “Um, okay. Start here.” he ran her through an octave. 

“Rad. Can you teach me the music from Mario?”

He laughed. “Maybe next time?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” She hummed and played the first five notes of  _ Fur Elise  _ by ear, then tapped keys at random until she found the next ones. “I haven’t played in so damn long, I’ve missed it,” she sighed. Then she smiled at him. “You’re a great teacher.”

Barry laughed, face red. “I haven’t taught you anything yet!”

“Yeah, but I can tell.”

 

And maybe he would have been, but he didn't have a chance to find out. The doors of the music room burst open, and the frazzled man who stood in the doorway looked… remarkably like the woman beside him. Same fancy outfit. Long hair tied in a bun instead of loose, and bleached blond instead of her fiery red, but their facial structures and expression almost identical. He looked pissed when he spotted her. 

“Lulu you little shit,” he said. “I've been looking for you fucking everywhere. Thanks for leavin’ me and Joaquin in the lurch, by the way, real preesh’d. Let's motor.” 

The woman rolled her eyes and shrugged at Barry, an apologetic smile on her face. 

“Duty calls,” she said. “See you ‘round, Chopin.” She winked and pulled out of the seat, quickly catching up with and shooting a glare at the man- her brother?- and they were out the door again in a heartbeat. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. 

 

-

 

“Really, Lu, since when are you such a flake?” said Taako, chucking an apron into his sister's hands. Lup rolled her eyes. 

“I was gone 15 minutes, babe, chill,” she said, tying the apron around her waist. “I was about to head back when you burst in all dramatic. I just found a music room and you know I gotta hash out those sweet tunes.”

“Well do you wanna help me pay for your college or do you want to run away with a boy and join an orchestra?” he asked. “Because I support you either way just give me a fuckin’ heads up.”

“You're just jealous you didn't get a New Years meet-cute,” she said airily, poking her tongue at him.. 

“Hey, it's only seven, I got time.”

“Besides, I didn't even get his number. Shit, I didn't even get his name.” She frowned and pulled her hair back into a tight bun. “I'm never gonna see him again, so just chill.”

 

-

 

Lup was wrong. Five minutes before the New Year rolled over, their manager let the caterers off for what little celebration they could manage at a stranger's party with none of their friends or family around. She stepped out on the balcony for a breath of fresh air, breath fogging up in the chill. And to her surprise, she recognised the old jeans and half tucked dress shirt of Chopin. She grinned and bounded up beside him. “Fancy seeing you again, stranger.” He jumped at her presence, but smiled when he recognised her, cheeks softly red. 

“Hey, Lulu, right?”

Lup made a face. “Okay, first thing’s first, if thiiiis-” she gestured between the two of them. “-is gonna be a thing, you're going to never call me Lulu again. It's just Lup, okay?”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “That's just… what he called you. Your brother?”

“Yeah, and I barely tolerate him doing it. It was a cute and appreciated nickname at seven, not so much seventeen.”

“Noted, then, Lup,” he laughed softly. “I'm... Barry. Are you enjoying the party?”

“Nah, not really my crowd.” Literally, considering she wasn’t invited or technically even attending.

Barry nodded. “My mother makes me come with her to these things because neither of us are really comfortable with them. And it's not like I have any friends to be with instead.” He cringed at himself, embarrassed, but Lup laughed. 

“We have a lot in common.” Distantly, the people behind her began the countdown. Her stomach clenched a little, suddenly nervous. She felt like Cinderella at the ball, facing the clock that would send her back into her normal life. Barry glanced at her, opened his mouth like he would say something, then closed it again. Fireworks went off somewhere. They keep their eyes locked for another few moments, neither of them willing to tear away their gaze. 

“Um… I should find my mom,” he said finally, breaking the spell. “Wish her a Happy New Year.”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” said Lup. “Taako's gonna be here to yell at me any second now anyway.” Barry laughed. It took another few moments before Lup sighed and pulled away from the railing. 

 

It took an embarrassingly long time to register that it was now the year 2017, and the two of them weren't doomed to be as two ships passing. People have phones in the future, duh. Lup doubled back quickly, hoping to find Barry still on the balcony. Luck was on her side, she caught him awkwardly trying to work his way back into the crowd. She caught his wrist and pulled him away again. 

“Lup?” he looked confused, but not unhappy to see her. 

“Gimme your phone,” she said quickly.

“W...hy?” he said, but complied. She couldn’t help but smile. God help if this boy if he were to ever get mugged. She punched her phone number into his contacts and then called herself so she'd have his. She slipped it back into his hands and winked, sticking her pinky and thumb out in the international sign for ‘call me’, before disappearing back into the crowd. 


	2. Heart in the Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new school term opens with a stroke of serendipity. Lup gets Barry in trouble. Barry meets Lup's nemesis. The author makes the most heavy-handed 2008 pop music reference in history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys? Your comments? I fucking love that shit I have a ridiculous amount of unearned self confidence rn. thank you so much for your support.

Lup and Barry had texted back and forth over the last few days, though their conversations were light and superficial. They talked about music, mostly, and their interests. There was no mention of their families or their futures or how she and Taako had to make $5.99 and half a carton of eggs last until next week. Because they both knew this was a thing, but it wasn't a Thing. As much as meeting on New Year was the perfect romcom romance, they were also teenagers, who lived on other sides of the country, probably. It wasn’t worth getting into.

Lup nearly choked on her coffee when he walked into her homeroom class. He didn’t seem to notice her, too focused on double and triple checking his schedule to make sure he was in the right room, and walking as quickly as possible with his head bowed to the only free seat. She stared at him as long as possible before it became too obvious for her to turn her head that far.

Surely she was dreaming, but maybe Fantasy High School really was where all your dreams came true?

Her phone vibrated, and she checked text message unnoticed. She and Taako had been separated in every class they had together since second grade, but the school was kidding themselves if they thought that could keep the twins from talking. Notes thrown across the room, whole conversations conveyed in raised eyebrows and facial expressions. Sign language, at one point, until they finally settled on texting. By now, they were experts at covert, under-the-table communication.

_YO BITCH IT’S THE BOY,_ her twin wrote. Yeah, thanks, she got that. She didn’t even know how to respond.  

Merle introduced the class, as he did every term, with a newly choreographed interpretive dance. Which sounds weird enough, until you meet him and he’s a short, eccentric, bearded old man in a Hawaiian shirt with a Kenny Chesney tattoo in a place he won’t tell where. Somehow all of these traits combined made for the most implausibly plausible public school teacher known to man. He was actually a pretty good dancer, though, or at least it broke up the monotony of high school if you home room teacher broke out into song on occasion, so that’s basically the same thing.

“So now that I have your attention,” he said when the song finished, posed in a half splits jazz hands kinda thing. “We’ve got a bit of housekeeping to run through for the start of the term, so see if you can drop your twitters and may-mays for a few minutes while I get into it.”

The class snickered as Merle ran through the rules, but Lup ignored them. She had bigger things to worry about: her brother’s quintuple texting, and her New Year not-quite-a-fling-but-maybe who was probably in the classroom with her right now. No, really, there’s no way he could be here. Maybe it was just wishful thinking and this dude just looked like him? But no, Taako saw him too. She drafted a few messages, deleted them, pondered, deleted more. And then it came to her. She closed the conversation with Taako and opened instead the one with Barry, last message sent 10pm last night.

_old man interpretive jazz dancing y/n?_

If Barry wasn’t here, that was an innocuous enough message that she could respond with the rest of the anecdote, make him laugh, and tell him he has a doppelganger. No harm done, that would be that. If that _was_ Barry, he would get it immediately, and… then I guess she would see what happens. Regardless, it’s a completely foolproof plan.

A loud _ding_ rang throughout the classroom. Almost foolproof. She hadn’t accounted for someone being _fool enough_ to not _put his fucking phone on vibrate_. The whole room fell silent, and turned to face the new face, Lup included. And, yep, that’s Barry alright. She could tell now that he was somehow bright red and deathly pale all at the same time, offending phone in hand.

Merle shook his head and tutted. “Getting in trouble a little early, aren’t we, newbie?” he said. Of course phones were the only rule Merle Highchurch took seriously. Something something about engagement. He let the students call him by his first name and turned a blind eye to weed deals going on under the desks, but take a phone out in class, and it’s-

“In the bucket.” Merle held out a former beach pail, decked out in paintings and drawings from years of former students and detentionees. Barry stared at it wide eyed for a second, unsure what to do, before he wordlessly dropped his phone in. “And I’ll be seeing you in detention, Mr..” Merle stared at the role. “Bluejeans?”

The whole class laughed, and Barry looked like he was going to vomit. Or sink into the floor. Probably both. “Eugenes,” he corrected, voice barely above a whisper. God, this was torture.

Lup pulled her phone out and switched the sound on, turning it up to its loudest setting. Then she tapped at random keys, open and obvious for the whole class to see, until Merle turned his gaze to her instead. She sent the message with a satisfying whoosh.

“Really, Lup?” he said. “Eugenes is new but you should know better by now. What could be so important that it couldn’t wait until after class?”

Lup shrugged. “Funny cat video?” she said, and the class chuckled. Even Merle couldn’t help a smile, though he rolled his eyes.

“Too bad it wasn't a dog video, I might have let it slide. In the bucket.”

Lup’s phone hadn’t been confiscated since she was 14. It was second hand and about three months off obsolete but she paid for it herself and it was the most valuable thing she owned. She spent a whole period of class in the bathroom crying, panicking, berating herself for losing something so important.

She got it back at the end of the day, of course, and Lup wasn’t 14 anymore, but between medical shit and saving for college and rent and all that bullshit, her phone was still the most expensive thing she owned. The phone was tight in her grip as though it, too, were reluctant to part from her, but she dropped it anyway with a shaky breath. It had done its duty, at least. Everyone was staring at her, or had lost interest entirely and were back to their own conversations. But no one was looking at Barry. Except Lup. He watched her back, eyes wide, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then he smiled, lopsided and shaking, and mouthed _thank you._

Lup gave him the okay sign and winked.

“Send me a link to that cat video though,” said Merle, back at his desk. “After class, of course.” Lup sent him finger guns. “You got it, Highchurch.”

“Lup what the hell did you just send me?” said Taako from his spot in the bottom right corner of the room, loud enough for Lup to hear clear as day from her spot in the top right. “Don’t get up, Merle, I’ll confiscate my own phone.” After a moment of lining up the shot, he dunked the phone perfectly into the bucket. Taako refused to upgrade from his brick-like flip phone (he used Lup’s for selfie filters), which made it handy for impressive acts like this. The class whooped and hollered, and Taako leaned back his chair with a satisfied smirk. Lup rolled her eyes, but smiled. Of course Taako wasn’t going to let her rot in detention by herself. Or maybe he was just pulling a protective little brother thing and not letting her be alone with Barry. Whatever, it was something she could work out later.

 

The bell for first class rang, and Lup escaped quickly. Instead of hauling ass to the gym, though, she hung around just behind the door, waiting for Barry.

“Hey Bluejeans, it’s me the welcoming committee,” said Lup, falling into step with him. He jumped, but smiled widely when he noticed her. “Let me walk you to your next class.”

“Is Bluejeans really a thing that’s happening?” he asked, but the smile didn’t drop from his face.

“Still better than Lulu.”

“Good point. I can’t believe you go here.”

“I know. All the gin joints in all the world, right? Listen, I’m sorry about your phone, but you gotta put that shit on silent, bud.”

“No one ever texts me?” he hesitated. It was pretty pathetic, as far as defences go.

“Well, now I do, so you’re gonna have to start, cause I’m not saving your ass like that again.” He laughed.

“Thank you, again. I thought I was going to fucking die. You saved my life.” Lup shrugged it off. Barry glanced around and frowned. “Where are we walking to?”

“I dunno, where’s your class?” asked Lup. “I said I’d walk you, since the school didn’t provide an escort like they do in movies.”

“You don’t have to do that, it’s okay.” He pulled off to the side out of the thoroughfare, digging through his backpack for his schedule. “Just go to your class, I’ll be fine.”

“Eh, you’re new, you have to build a reputation, and you don’t strike me as the tardy type,” she said. “I, on the other hand, have already established myself as the lovable scamp. I can take being a few minutes late. Plus, I have gym. I’m basically a god there.” 

Lup didn’t feel the hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t need to. Barry took his eyes off her for a moment, and his laugh died in his throat as he stared at who was behind her, shrinking under his gaze. Lup scowled, clenching her fists and rolling her eyes so hard it almost hurt.

“Why, Chaluupa, you seem to become more beautiful every time I see you.” She could feel the sickly sweet smile at her back. She didn’t turn around.

“Edward. I’m surprised you survived the winter so far from your domain of hell.”

Barry snorted. Apparently sick of being ignored, Edward pulled himself into her line of sight and eyed Barry up and down like a hungry animal, smile ever present on his face.

“Who’s the fresh meat?”

Edward was all shoulder pads and leather and glitter in a way that, yeah, Lup had to admit would be a look, if it weren’t so tacky. Edward and Lydia stole the glam twin thing from Lup and Taako some time in middle school, and had been competing against them in pretty much every respect ever since. Which was embarrassing, sure, and annoying, but not totally reprehensible. What really pissed Lup off was how disgustingly creepy they were, especially Edward. Sure, Lup was flirty, but Lydia and Edward were willing to do anything and everything to get what they want, even if that meant putting people in uncomfortable and dangerous situations. They were the antithesis of everything the glam twins represented and she hated them with almost every fiber of her being.

“This is a friend of mine,” said Lup, so much more forceful than would be necessary for anyone who wasn’t the devil incarnate. “I’m looking after him. So you can saunter off to your class now and stop salivating over him, because I’m a vegetarian and I’m not fucking scared of you.”

If Edward was at all intimidated by Lup, he didn’t show it. Somehow, his smile was even more condescending than usual. “I’d love to, but I need to get in-” he shoved Barry aside almost gracefully, knocking Barry into some lockers with a thud. “-there.” He produced a pen from… somewhere, fountain of course, and signed his name on the signup sheet that had been behind Barry’s head until a moment ago. Fantasy High School Talent Show Auditions. “After all,” said Edward. “Can’t have a talent show without the talent. Will you two be signing up? We’d love to have more variety this year.”

“I wooouuuld,” said Lup. “but it’d be hella embarrassing for you guys if I were to participate and wipe the floor with you so thoroughly.”

“Uh, I… I still gotta get used to how things run around here,” said Barry diplomatically. “Maybe another time?”

Edward gave him a withering smile as the bell rang. “Well, if you change your mind, I’d love to see you at the auditions this week.” He winked at Barry and reached for Lup’s hand, probably to kiss it. It took all of her willpower to just push him away instead of socking him in the jaw. If she got suspended one more time she wouldn’t be eligible for any scholarships, but damn, if that didn’t feel like a worthy sacrifice for a hot damn second. “Until next time, my friends.”

Lup waited all of two seconds before growling. “I’m gonna fucking kill that guy one day.”

Barry was still reeling from the encounter, and could barely catch a breath. “He certainly seems like a handful. What’s that guy’s deal?”

“I’ll explain later, but… shit!” The empty hallway and the warning bell finally registered. “You gotta get to class!”

Barry visibly deflated. “Shit,” he muttered. “I’ll see you again, right?”

Lup snickered. “Of course, nerd. We’ve still got detention, remember?” She winked, and he laughed, face turning a soft pink. “Catch you on the side that flips, Bluejeans.” And then she bolted, opposite direction, because social powers or no, coach was going to kick her ass for being late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks @die-tenebris for the best name rec I've ever received in my years as a writer. I'll sneak you the answers for your exam at FANTASY HIGH SCHOOL WHERE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. GOT A CLASS FOR YOU!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at timeforlupsopinion dot tumblr dot com. Follow for more unnecessary but oh-so necessary aus.


End file.
